Third Annual West Side CelebrationOn Saturday, September 20th at 11:00am on Beekman Street, Albany Comhaltas Band will kick off the third annual West Side Celebration with traditional Irish music and step dancing to honor the Irish heritage of the West Side. Declan Crowley, a 17 year-old nationally ranked step dancer, will perform at the opening and at 1:30pm. The day’s festivities will include music, dance, art, an Irish Folk Arts Tent, ethnic foods and fun for the entire family. Franklin Community Center is joining in the celebration this year by offering a variety of activities to celebrate their 25th Anniversary. Beekman and Oak Streets will be closed to traffic for the day-long celebration. There is no entrance fee and the festivities will be held rain or shine.Click Read More - for more information -->

For further schedule information, contact (518) 312-1093.

In addition to the a performance by the Albany Comhaltas Band and Declan Crowley, Saratoga Springs Mayor Scott Johnson will officially open the celebration and Father Frances Sullivan will give an Irish blessing. The day's schedule includes free art activities, fairytales and drumming for children, a Folk Arts Tent that includes photography and memorabilia of Irish life and some original Irish families on the West Side, 1970’s & 1980’s R&B and jazz music, 14 year-old blues guitarist Aaron Civic, a pie baking contest at Franklin Community Center (10 Franklin Street), and a variety of ethnic foods for sale (Irish, Soul, Italian, etc.). White tents will fill the streets with art work, food and information about organizations that support the West Side, like Franklin Community Center. Area band favorites Tequila Mockingbirds and The Heaters will get the crowd dancing in the streets from 4:00pm-10:00pm!

The third annual West Side Celebration celebrates the history of the families and businesses who settled on the West Side and created a community that is still active and diverse today – a unique community filled with lively stories of the people who shared their love of the West Side with anyone who came through the neighborhood. Although there have been many changes since the original immigrants migrated to the West Side, the sense of community remains to be shared once again at the West Side Celebration.

Bring the whole family to the West Side on Saturday, September 20th. Savor the sights, sounds, food and memories at the West Side Celebration.

A detailed list of specific activities and scheduled times is attached. For further information, contact (518) 312-1093.